ASPECTS OF LOVE Leads January's Top 10 New London Shows

London is never short of temptations, whether splashy West End shows, epic dramas or bold fringe offerings. From Cate Blanchett's UK stage debut to a reborn Andrew Lloyd Webber, here are some of this month's most eye-catching openings. Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld's reviews, interviews and features!

1. Aspects of Love, Southwark Playhouse

Jonathan O'Boyle's acclaimed, intimate revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black and Charles Hart's musical - depicting love in all its various forms - transfers from Manchester's Hope Mill Theatre, and marks the show's 30th anniversary. The cast includes Madalena Alberto, Kelly Price, Felix Mosse, Jerome Pradon, Eleanor Walsh and Kimberley Blake. Read our interview with producer Katy Lipson

7 January-9 February. Book tickets here

2. When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other, National Theatre

Cate Blanchett stars in this tantalising prospect: Martin Crimp exploring desire and gender roles via Samuel Richard's Pamela, directed by the pioneering auteur Katie Mitchell. The cast also features Stephen Dillane, Jessica Gunning, Craig Miller, Babirye Bukilwa and Emma Hindle, and day tickets are available in person from 9:30am.

16 January-2 March. Find ticket info here

3. Pinter Five and Pinter Six, Harold Pinter Theatre

Jamie Lloyd's thrilling season of Pinter shorts continues. The latest instalments see Patrick Marber directing, among others, Jane Horrocks, Rupert Graves and Nicholas Woodeson in Pinter's first play The Room, while Lloyd tackles Party Time and Pinter's final play Celebration with John Simm, Celia Imrie, Tracy-Ann Oberman and Ron Cook.

Until 26 January. Book tickets here

4. Violet, Charing Cross Theatre

The long-awaited UK premiere of this award-winning musical from Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Caroline, or Change) and Brian Crawley, about a facially disfigured young woman travelling across America in the mid Sixties. Shuntaro Fjuita directs a cast that includes Kaisa Hammerlund - succeeding Sutton Foster - Matthew Harvey and Jay Marsh.

14 January-6 April. Book tickets here

5. Leave to Remain, Lyric Hammersmith

This topical new play with songs, with music from Bloc Party's Kele Okereke and a book by Matt Jones, is about a young gay couple whose relationship is threatened by visa problems. Robby Graham directs a cast that features Tyrone Huntley, Billy Cullum, Rakie Ayola, Martin Fisher and Cornell S. John.

18 January-16 February. Book tickets here

6. Approaching Empty, Kiln Theatre

Ishy Din's new play is set in the north of England in the aftermath of Margaret Thatcher's death, and follows the travails of two friends working in a minicab office. Pooja Ghai directs, and the cast features Kammy Darweish, Nicholas Khan, Karan Gill, Rina Fatania, Maanuv Thiara and Nicholas Presad.

9 January-2 February. Book tickets here

7. Time Is Love, Finborough Theatre

The European premiere of this intriguing thriller by Chè Walker (creator of Netflix's Been So Long), set in East LA's barrios - and featuring some of the original LA cast. Walker directs Sheila Atim (who also provides original music), Gabriel Akuwudike, Benjamin Cawley, Sasha Frost, Jessica Ledon and Cary Crankson.

Until 26 January. Book tickets here

8. Cost of Living, Hampstead Theatre

Martyna Majok's 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winning play tackles disability, class and race, as it follows a wealthy PhD student with cerebral palsy and his new carer, plus a marriage is redefined by a terrible accident. Edward Hall directs Adrian Lester, Emily Barber, Jack Hunter, and - from the original Off-Broadway production - Katy Sullivan.

25 January-2 March. Book tickets here

9. The Queen of Spades, Royal Opera House

Tchaikovsky's ambitious opera, loosely adapting Pushkin's short story to explore romance, gambling, life and art, gets the star treatment in Stefan Herheim's spectacular staging. The enticing cast features Eva-Maria Westbroek, Felicity Palmer, Alexsandrs Antonenko, Vladimir Stoyanov, John Lundgren and Anna Goryachova, conducted by Antonio Pappano.

16 January-1 February. Book tickets here

10. Totem, Royal Albert Hall

Cirque de Soleil return with their remarkable Robert Lepage-directed show. Totem is a journey into mankind's evolution, from amphibian state to our latest quest for flight, but as always, it's really about the individual jaw-dropping acts - from juggling unicyclists to skaters, acrobats and gravity-defying trapeze artists.

12 January-26 February. Book tickets here

Want more recommendations? Find previous Top 10 lists here

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